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| menace64 |
 Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 2:44 am |
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Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 836
Location: Wichita, Kansas
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I’ve lost my short-term memory, and I can’t understand why.
This started almost the day I came back from the Air Force (October 11 for those keeping track at home). It began as a slight "fuzziness" in my brain, making it difficult for me to reach some thoughts or memories. I can’t say when this got worse, but now...
Now it’s like amnesia. And I’m not kidding. My short-term memory is completely, utterly, gone.
I know it’s been like this for almost a month, but it’s getting worse on a daily basis. I’ve tried explaining what it’s like to family, friends, and even my doctor, but words don’t quite describe it. A few stories might help:
Remember those ice storms that ripped through the Midwest a few weeks back? Yeah, well my friend Ben got his car totaled in one of the storms, and being the friend I am I offered my car and services until he got on his feet again. So he calls me up one day and asks for a ride to work. "Okay," I tell him. "When should i come get you?" He replies, "In an hour." I tell him that’d be find and I hang up, putting the phone back into my pocket. Within that time (2 to 3 seconds), I forgot all about it. Two hours went by before he called me, and it took a minute for me to remember what he was talking about.
That, really, isn’t so bad. Compared to this one, anyways:
This happened um... Tuesday? Yeah, I think it was Tuesday. Well, I was on my way to work when I realized I needed to stop by my parents’ house afterwards to print off my class schedule. I knew that I would forget before I got off from work, so I called my dad to let him know what I needed to do.
I forgot as soon as I hung up, but I’d planned ahead so I didn’t worry. Half-way through my shift, just for giggles, I tried to remember what it was I was needing to do after work. Couldn’t do it. After a while it came back to me, only to disappear again. I got off a few hours later, and during the drive to the house I remembered and forgot the same thing FOUR more times. It was a madhouse of memory loss.
This. Is. Common. Now.
I went to my doctor Tuesday afternoon (it took me a minute to remember *when* I’d gone) and he got me scheduled for an MRI scan on Monday. He honestly has no idea what’s going on in my head, but he thinks it could be some bizarre form of epilepsy. I have a follow-up with a neurologist early next month for an EEG scan.
In the meantime, my dad bought me a cheap little PDA tonight to help organize my thoughts and keep me on schedule. It’s already helping, but I can’t remember like three or four things I’m supposed to do in the next few days. It’s mind-blowingly frustrating and saddening, being unable to trust your own brain to do what it should.
I dunno. I’ll keep y’all updated as I start getting some answers. In the meantime, feel free to share some stories of your own about your brain playing tricks on you or outright rebelling. |
Riddle 9
When I came to Abraham I let him live just a moment longer. When I came to Moses I saved his life more than once. But the salmon... I regret to say I had a hand in its death.
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| gil-estel |
| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 3:34 am |
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Joined: 25 Apr 2007
Posts: 545
Location: Groningen, the Netherlands
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| pfff, that must be tough! I’m chaotic in the deepest sense of the word, and I forget minor things, but I always revere to that as: I didn’t forget, I didn’t think of it...somehow it seems not as bad as forgetting...but this..Hang in there man! I hope they find the source of this discomfort! |
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| NBarden |
| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:31 am |
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Joined: 28 Dec 2006
Posts: 5468
Location: I don't know...
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| CarpeGuitarrem |
| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 9:24 am |
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Joined: 07 Apr 2006
Posts: 3361
Location: Franciscan University of Steubenville
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| Weird. I’d like to let you know, you’re not the only one. I’ve kinda been through that sort of stuff too. I’ll sometimes have to ask somebody to repeat what they just said, because I just spaced out. I might have remembered that they said something to me, although not always. Things can and do sometimes just slip out of my mind if I don’t think about them. |
| "ok, change of plans. the Cobracards christmas party is coming to my house, and we’re gunna teach FM how to hunt." (mm) |
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| AgentDrake |
| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 1:30 pm |
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Joined: 01 Apr 2007
Posts: 667
Location: Halfway between eccentric and insane...
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Wow. That sucks.
I’m no psychologist, but could it maybe be some sorta result of delayed stress/fatigue from your military days?
A question, though. Obviously, you forget short-term stuff. But once something passes from short-term into long-term memory, are you able to remember it again? (ie, you’re introduced to someone; does it become easier to remember their name later?) |
| Never kid about politicians. The more bizarre the joke, the more likely it is to come true. |
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| menace64 |
| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 3:42 pm |
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Joined: 12 Apr 2006
Posts: 836
Location: Wichita, Kansas
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AgentDrake wrote: Wow. That sucks.
I’m no psychologist, but could it maybe be some sorta result of delayed stress/fatigue from your military days?
A question, though. Obviously, you forget short-term stuff. But once something passes from short-term into long-term memory, are you able to remember it again? (ie, you’re introduced to someone; does it become easier to remember their name later?)
Well, I was only in the Air Force for like two months. I don’t think that would affect me substantially.
Answering your question though... not really. It’s like there’s a very real barrier between my long-term memory and short-term memory. When I try and remember something, I know to "look" in either "section". If it’s already in the long-term area, I can access it just fine; but anything that gets put into short-term is more-or-less doomed. However, if I was introduced to somebody, I *would* remember how they looked, talked, and all of that jazz, but I forget their name after about seven seconds, as well as most any personal information they give me. So, the next time I see them, I know that I know them, and if they say their name again I can usually plug them into the right place.
It’s, uh, complicated. lol. |
Riddle 9
When I came to Abraham I let him live just a moment longer. When I came to Moses I saved his life more than once. But the salmon... I regret to say I had a hand in its death.
Who am I? |
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| Celebrimbor |
| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:49 pm |
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Joined: 12 Sep 2006
Posts: 953
Location: UNKNOWN
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Man, that’s weird.
Sometime(s) in the past I’ve had real problems with memorizing things, or staying concentrated on 1 thing at a time. i guess you could my case a temporary ADD problem. It’s mostly gone now.
Hey M64 I’m gonna keep you in my prayers (that’s if I don’t forget - lol just kidding)
What specifically would you want me to ask God about for you? |
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| Elessar's Socks |
| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:19 pm |
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Joined: 29 Jul 2007
Posts: 349
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Hope it’s nothing too serious, menace!
Could at least some of it be psyching yourself out? I’ve done it a few times, where I’m thinking to myself "I can’t remember" when I could’ve used that time to do the actual remembering.
It might help to say things out loud, or spend a quick moment visualizing yourself doing it. So instead of thinking "I need to pick up a friend," you could imagine the route you’ll take there or something like that.
Maybe you could try impromptu tests where at random times you make up a simple task for yourself, but instead of doing it immediately you make a hash mark on a post-it note. Then later you could look at the mark and see if you remember what the task was. You don’t even have to actually do it. Again something you can visualize is probably better than, like, trying to remember a random chain of letters.
As for names, I’m the same way. Remembering their face is the easy part. Unless I repeat the name, though, it’s gone while they’re still talking to me. ^^;;
Anyway, hope I didn’t gloss over your concerns; I’d have suggested a trip to the doctor and possible scans, but you’re doing that already. If anything could make you sleep easier until then, though...! |
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